Admirals stacking reps through summer hoops
He drew the Admirals into a huddle at Karns High School, looked around and offered a summation of where things stood.
“Summer matters,” he said. “We’ve got to
get through summer to get where we’re trying to go.”
In this case, of course, Burris did not just refer to summer meaning the hot period of months stretching from May through July and August
Rather, he was referring to the essential, experience-building months before the TSSAA-mandated Dead Period, which can set a team on a track toward success once the season rolls around.
That process is important for any team, but especially so for a Farragut team that is coming off its first state tournament appearance in 43 years — yet lost six seniors to graduation a month ago.
“I would say confidence, number one, and then transition to live play,” Burris said when asked what he wants to see during this period. “You’ve got a lot of guys who haven’t played a lot and one returner who’s gotten major minutes. So, just trying to gain some confidence with these guys who haven’t played varsity, and you’re going to get that with as much live play as you can get this time of year.”
For Farragut, that reset process started last Tuesday and Wednesday, June 2-3, at Karns High School.
The Admirals lost to Halls and Powell that first day, the initial matchup uniting two teams that faced off last postseason.
“Today was literally our first day,” Burris said that afternoon. “I thought Connor (Everly) played really well in the second game. That first one, we just didn’t have great effort. We were a little rusty. Again, literally the first day, so we’ve got time to see who will step up. And we’re missing three of our top eight that aren’t with us right now.”
Burris was alluding to Matthew Dickens, who has been out after a car accident; Blue Sagle, who was out of town; and Alex Evans, who has taken part in a summer internship at Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.
Notably, Dickens has played the most minutes of any returner, though Everly ripped a couple triples and moved well in transition at Karns, too.
Meanwhile, fellow rising
senior Westin Carbaugh dropped in some floaters and held his own in the paint, showcasing size Burris will certainly rely on this
winter.
The next day, the Ads lost to Grace Christian but bounced back to beat Gibbs as Evans returned for the latter two matchups.
With more of the summer slate ahead, Burris said he is looking for more growth for a team that will feature four seniors to lead this year’s squad.
“Just a lot of repetitions,” he said. “The more we can practice and rep things, the more it will benefit us and try and play as much as you can to get that live play feel. It’s a process, and that’s what we signed up to do.”
“For the summer, we’re working on what we’re trying to do offensively and defensively, and we’re just going to keep repping it,” he added “There’s times we look good doing it, and there’s times we look bad, but it’s not like we’re going to abandon it because it’s what we need to do to get better to run in-season.
“That’s a good thing about the summer, is you just keep repping it and see if you can get where you want to be by the time your season rolls around.”
